Le Grand Hôtel de l'Opéra
Welcome to Le Grand Hôtel de l’Opéra: a brand-new show set in the 1920s that weaves the music from Johann Strauss, Donizetti and Mozart into an international tangle of mischief and seduction.
Le Grand Hôtel de l’Opéra is this year's showcase production of the emerging artists currently trained and supported by Mascarade Opera in Florence, a year-round programme for exceptionally talented young opera singers and répétiteurs. Scenes from four operas have been tied into an original fully staged unified narrative, directed by Federico Grazzini, and conducted by Wyn Davies with the Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna.
This production is dedicated with sincere gratitude to Jim and Lynne Walton, in celebration of their exceptional commitment to the arts.
CAST
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Mezzo-soprano
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Aistė Benkauskaitė
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Baritone
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Charles Buttigieg
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Tenor
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Garrett Evers
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Bass
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Ferdinand Muradyan
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Soprano
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Priya Pariyachart
Luiza Willert
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Répétiteur
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Peter H. Smith
Samuele Piccinini
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Actors
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Davide Arena
Gabriele Badaglialacqua
Lorenzo Carcasci
Simone Gennaro Maiorano
Fabio Prieto Bonilla
Giorgio Stefani
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Orchestra
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Orchestra Filarmonica di Bologna
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Conductor
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Wyn Davies
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Director
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Federico Grazzini
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Associate stage director
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Flavia De Strasser
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Set designer
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Anna Bonomelli
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Costume designer
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Edoardo Russo
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Light designer
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Giuseppe di Iorio
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Head of music
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Jonathan Papp
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Artistic director
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Julia Lynch
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PROGRAMME
‘Overture’ from Der Zigeunerbaron by J. Strauss
‘Mein Aug’ bewacht’ and ‘Ein Greis ist mir im Traum’ from Der Zigeunerbaron by J. Strauss
Priya Pariyachart (Saffi)
Aistė Benkauskaitė (Czipra)
Garrett Evers (Barinkay)
‘Don Pasquale.. Cognato’ and ‘Cheti cheti immantinente’ from Don Pasquale by G. Donizetti
Ferdinand Muradyan (Don Pasquale)
Charles Buttigieg (Dottor Malatesta)
‘Solitudini amiche..’, ‘Zeffiretti lusinghieri..’, ‘Ei stesso vien..’, ‘Principessa, a tuoi sguardi..’, and ‘Odo? O sol..Spiegarti non poss’io’ from Idomeneo by W. A. Mozart
Priya Pariyachart (Ilia)
Aistė Benkauskaitė (Idamante)
‘Overture’ from Così fan tutte by W. A. Mozart
Act I Scene 1-11 from Così fan tutte by W. A. Mozart
Priya Pariyachart (Fiordiligi)
Aistė Benkauskaitė (Dorabella)
Garrett Evers (Ferrando)
Charles Buttigieg (Guglielmo)
Ferdinand Muradyan (Don Alfonso)
Luiza Willert (Despina)
STORY
ACT 1
In the faded grandeur of the luxurious Grand Hôtel de l’Opéra, love affairs, intrigues, and madness entwine in a haze of dreams and memories. The younger self of the production's real-life conductor, Maestro Wyn Davies, observes everything from the piano.
Don Pasquale, the grumpy owner of the hotel, is assisted by the lawyer Dr Malatesta, who is secretly plotting behind his back. Don Pasquale is exasperated by his wife Ilia, who, together with the help of the hotel staff, wants to transform the lobby into an eccentric winter garden filled with exotic animals and tropical plants.
Meanwhile, their son Barinkay returns after many years to marry Saffi, a maid and his longtime fiancée. Opposed by Don Pasquale, the couple discover with the help of Saffi’s cunning mother, Czipra, that a fabulous treasure is hidden in the hotel’s vault. At the same time, Ilia has begun a secret love affair with Idamante, an eccentric cabaret performer who arrives at the hotel disguised as a gorilla. When Don Pasquale discovers their relationship, he sets his mind on revenge. In a crescendo of surreal events, the hotel staff rebel and help Barinkay rob his father’s safe. The first act ends with Don Pasquale in despair over the theft and the escape of his wife Ilia, aided by the treacherous Dr Malatesta.
ACT 2
Don Pasquale (who remains as Don Pasquale in what would usually be the role of Don Alfonso in the original Così fan tutte) finds himself overwhelmed by the debts left behind by his wife Ilia. New guests arrive at the Grand Hôtel, a pair of young aristocratic couples: Dorabella and Ferrando, and Fiordiligi and Guglielmo.
Don Pasquale sees in them a golden opportunity to recover from the recent theft and pay off his debts. He convinces Ferrando and Guglielmo to bet a large sum of money on the presumed infidelity of their fiancées, Dorabella and Fiordiligi.
The scene shifts to the hotel’s spa, where the love wager unfolds. With the help of the hotel staff and the clever Despina, an elaborate farce is staged: the two men pretend to leave for war, only to return disguised as exotic Eastern princes, aiming to test the girls’ fidelity with the assistance of Despina and the staff recruited by Don Pasquale.
Young Maestro Davies reappears at the piano. On stage, we now also see the real-life Maestro himself who has recalled this story from his memories, a witness to a past suspended between reality and dream.
